The Big Bombs of ‘Mandingo’ Yordan Alvarez

You have to go all the way back to 2019 the last time we wrote about Yordan Alvarez, also known as ‘Mandingo’ amongst me and my friends. Back then he was a relative unknown, defected from Cuba to come to MLB and ‘hit forever’ as we said. 

Fast forward to September of this past 2022 season, and Yordan Alvarez bailed me out in the fantasy playoffs. Reeling and facing a team with Aaron Judge, Alvarez emerged from a wrist injury to hit three runs in the same game, all towering blasts greater than 430 feet against the Oakland Athletics. 

But big Yordan wasn’t done. His biggest blast came in the 2022 World Series game six to clinch a title against the Houston Astros. 

The three run blast, lefty-on-lefty crime was indeed the turning point. It came off a guy you would imagine him facing on the tobacco fields, Jose Alvarado. 

Now entering his age-26 season, one would expect that Alvarez makes a run at triple crown statistics and a possible MVP. Even in a league that features Aaron Judge and all that other power, it’s hard to imagine anyone hitting more bombs than this guy will in that loaded Houston lineup.